Hayley M. Abernathy Expertise: Real Estate, Homeownership, SEO, Copyediting Title: Freelance Writer & Editor Education: Bryan College Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Highlights Writes about real estate and homeownership for publications like HomeLight and The BalanceFormer English and composition teacher turned freelance writerHas over five years of experience in freelance copyediting and writing consulting Experience Hayley Abernathy is a freelance writer and editor with over five years of experience. She has a passion for all things related to real estate and homeownership. That passion grew from a love for house-hunting and home improvement, plus the successes and mistakes of her own homeownership journey.Before focusing on her freelance career, Hayley spent four years teaching English and composition to middle and high school students in a private setting. During that time, she developed the school's writing scope for the seventh through 12th grades and developed and taught the senior capstone research writing course.Hayley was raised in East Tennessee and now resides in Knoxville with her husband and three children. Education Hayley has a bachelor's in English literature from Bryan College, with minors in writing and Spanish. During college, she also worked as a peer writing consultant, helping students revise their own writing and better understand how to wield the power of the written word. About The Balance The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.